1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems for monitoring food service operating, performances, safety and correction actions requirements at a food service establishment. More specifically, it relates to a universal system for monitoring compliance with respect to food itself, as well as food storage and preparation and further includes monitoring of both employees and the facility physical conditions at such an establishment. The system includes both monitoring functions and control functions with interactive work stations.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
The following represents prior art which is representative of various types of food related and sanitation related monitoring systems:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,967,478 to Stanley G. Guinn describes an apparatus for unlatching a door to a hygienic area actuated by sensor electrodes in contact with the electrolytic residue of a cleansing agent upon the hand or limb of a person desiring access to the hygienic area.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,254,472 to Richard O. Juengel et al describes a remote metering system for monitoring, collecting, analyzing, transmitting and displaying data generated by a plurality of metering devices. A controller, preferably a microprocessor, stores the continually up-dated data, analyses it, and initiates transmission of the data to at least one remote data receiving device. The data transmission from the controller is in serial format and includes a plurality of different channels, with at least one channel corresponding to a combination of selected data associated with different metering devices. A scaling factor can be applied to particular metering data prior to transmission, for example, so as to provide cost analyses. The remote data receiving device includes the capability of receiving and displaying data corresponding to any of the output data transmission channels from the controller.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,325,223 to Robert J. Cantley describes a system and method for managing energy in large refrigeration systems and the like by continuously monitoring operating parameters and controlling to optimize the refrigeration system elements. A multiplicity of remote sensors is disposed at the appropriate points in the refrigeration system to produce analog electrical signals representative of various temperatures such as wet bulb temperature, dry bulb temperature, condensing temperature, evaporator air temperature, evaporator refrigerant temperature, and similar temperatures, and various pressures such as head pressure, booster suction pressure, intermediate suction pressure, and the like. A signal processor is provided to receive signals from the sensors, to condition the analog signals, convert to digital signals and to feed a digital computer which has a memory for storing system design parameters and refrigerant characteristics. The digital computer calculates the instantaneous system operating parameters from the digital signals, compares these parameters to the design parameters, and operates control relays to load and unload compressors to maintain optimum system pressures, to energize and deenergize fans and pumps in accordance with the system requirements, and to produce alarms when non-condensible gasses and/or fouled condensers are indicated in the refrigeration system. In systems subject to frost build up on the evaporator, defrost cycles are also controlled by the computer to occur only when necessary.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,375,637 to Paul A. Desjardins describes a fully integrated alarm, communication, and building management system having a central control station and a plurality of remotely located sensing and controlling devices. Each remote device has an individual digital address, which is a parallel address present on a plurality of parallel lines. The parallel address is converted to a serial address and sent to the various remote locations where it is then reconverted to a parallel address and decoded to determine the specific device being interrogated. A multiple amplifier system is provided at the central control unit and provides communication capability involving remotely located loudspeakers and microphones. The amplifiers are provided in a dual channel arrangement so as to provide a fail-safe arrangement and a failure detector is located in each channel such that if a selected amplifier channel fails, the back-up or redundant channel is immediately switched into use. A number of controlling devices or actuating devices may be employed which operate in conjunction with the sensing devices and a programmable read only memory, or a programmable multiplexer, located at the central control unit. Each remotely located controlling or actuating device also has associated with it an individual parallel digital address and upon the occurrence of a signal from a sensing unit indicating a condition other than a normal condition and a specific address programmed into the programmable read only memory or the multiplexer a command signal will be issued to the remotely located actuating or controlling device causing such device to operate in a predetermined manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,138 to Roy L. Harvey et al describes a security system continuously monitoring a plurality of spatially diverse events which are reportable to a central monitoring facility, the system including a controller for sequencing the performance of reporting and monitoring tasks according to the requirements of the events. The system also performs the tasks according to a predetermined priority, in particular, alarm message queuing. In addition, alarm conditions and system operation are verified by specified communication procedures and redundancies. Furthermore, system communications capabilities include keyboard entry and output display and an interrupt facility.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,557 to Martin J. Burns describes a building intelligence system is disclosed that is compact in construction and includes a single cabinet within which all of the operating components are housed. The system incorporates an uninterruptable power supply, a hard-wired input board, a relay output board and a power-line carrier transmitter output. A dedicated computer is programmable through a computer interface to provide a wide range of control to such functions as energy systems, security systems, appliances, lights and other electrical electromechanical systems that are present within the building.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,851,822 to James S. Barnett describes an electronic monitoring system for a refrigerated unit that has sensing means responsive to temperature within the unit, conditions of the engine driving a compressor, security controls of the unit, all interconnected with solid state programming means in order to provide visual, audio, and transponding alarms in the event of a malfunction within the unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,950 to Stephen M. Mak describes a computer controlled, fully automatic wok cooking system which prepares stir-fried, Chinese dishes according to arbitrarily selected customer orders entered at a point-of-sale computer. The computer integrates the operation of the conveyer, cooking, dispensing, and point of sale entry devices according to the order, menu and ingredients. A conveyor belt including a plurality of woks draws the woks through a plurality of cooking stations. Each station is provided with a burner or heating element and a dispensing station controlled by the computer according to the customer entered order. Oil or condiments are added at a first station by a corresponding plurality of dispensers and at subsequent cooking stations the food ingredients are either stirred or additional spices, food ingredients, and condiments added by corresponding dispensers. At the last cooking station additional food ingredients, such as vegetables, nuts or other ingredients requiring shorter cooking times, are added and cooking is completed. The completed short order stir-fried dish is then delivered to a serving container at a delivery station. The emptied wok is advanced by the conveyor system through a plurality of cleaning stations, where the wok is inverted, washed, scoured, rinsed and dried. The cleaned and dried wok is then returned by the conveyor system to the initial cooking station to begin the cooking process again according to the then appropriate customer order.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,333 to Robert Barr et al describes an alarm system for monitoring an entrance/exit from a premises is provided with a dead bolt switch, timing mechanism, alarm circuitry and alarm indicator. The alarm system is activated when the dead bolt is unlocked. The alarm circuitry determines if the unlocking of the dead bolt was authorized or unauthorized. If the unlocking was unauthorized, the alarm indicator is activated. If the unlocking was authorized, the timing mechanism is activated. If the dead bolt is not relocked within the time period preset into the timing mechanism, the alarm indicator is activated. The timing mechanism may be reset by authorized persons to allow the dead bolt to remain open for additional time periods, one period at a time.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,417 to Hayami Yuasa describes an environmental abnormality alarm apparatus which includes a plurality of terminals connected to a transmission line and a central processing unit. A specific address is assigned to each of the terminals. The central processing unit sequentially circularly accesses the addresses of the terminals and receives a signal corresponding to a physical change such as fire, gas leakage, or burglary supplied from each terminal. Each terminal includes an alarm determination reference setting unit, a comparator for comparing the physical change signal with an alarm determination reference value, and an output unit for supplying a comparison result from the comparator. The alarm determination reference value of the alarm determination reference setting unit is set by transmitting and receiving data to and from the central processing unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,006,976 to Larry O. Jundt describes a process control terminal that may be used in a computer network consisting of a process control network of process controllers and an application network of host computers. The process control terminal allows a process control operator to access to both process control functions and application programs being executed by a host computer. The process control terminal includes an Ethernet controller and it emulates a standard DEC terminal in order to facilitate its use in preexisting computer systems. The process control terminal displays information relating to process control functions in a first portion of its associated CRT screen and information relating to applications programs in a second portion of the CRT screen, the second portion being exclusive of the first portion so that process control information is not overwritten by applications information. The process control terminal also includes an automatic login feature that allows an operator to automatically login to an application program without typing a username or password.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,218,344 to James G. Ricketts describes a method and system for monitoring personnel in an institution such as a correctional facility, hospital, school, military installation, and the like, includes a computer connected with one or more stationary transceivers in a defined area of the facility, and a portable transceiver unit worn by each individual who is to be monitored. The computer sends command signals to the stationary transceivers, which broadcast interrogation signals to the portable units. The portable units are configured to respond only to interrogation signals unique to that individual, and upon decoding an interrogation signal incident thereon, broadcast a response signal to the stationary transceivers. The stationary transceivers relay corresponding data to the computer, where the data is analyzed to provide an indication of the number, location and identity of the individuals. The portable transceiver units have an emergency alarm button which may be actuated by the individual in the event of an emergency, and selected portable transceiver units may also be configured to be sensitive to proximity between them. In addition, the portable units may be coded for access to vending apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,309,351 to Joseph H. McCain et al describes a data and communication system including a hand-held unit and an infrared communication satellite is used to provide for the interchange of data between a host computer, individual personal computers, the hand-held computing unit, and factory machinery, including process controllers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,321,629 to Shigenobu Shirata et al describes a facility inspection support apparatus having portable terminal equipment for collecting on the field basis a patrol inspection result at each site of plant facilities, and a processor for receiving the patrol inspection result data collected by the portable terminal equipment and performing a necessary data process. The processor includes a data base for storing in advance a plurality of patrol inspection routes, and discrimination information of patrol inspection items included in the inspection routes, and storing the patrol inspection result data collected by the portable terminal equipment, and facility management processor for deriving the discrimination information of a patrol inspection item designated by the interactive apparatus and a past patrol inspection result data for the designated patrol inspection item, out of the data base, and transferring the discrimination information and the past patrol inspection result data to the portable terminal equipment. The portable terminal equipment includes a data memory for storing the collected patrol inspection result data, and a display device for sequentially displaying the discrimination information of patrol inspection items and the past patrol inspection result data sent from the processor in the order following the patrol inspection route.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,150 to Kenneth Scarola et al describes the use of alarm indication on the overview (IPSO) display to initiate diagnosis of challenges to critical functions or unavailability of success paths, and further alarm-based guidance toward ultimate diagnosis.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,394,447 to Kenneth Scarola et al describes the content of a hierarchical access to three levels of display pages containing information on critical function monitoring and success path monitoring.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,465,082 to John Chaco describes a distributed data processing network which includes multiple memory card databases at terminal nodes of the network. The network is programmed to automatically perform routine communications operations such as conveying identification information between the terminal nodes and interior nodes. The network is implemented in a hospital environment and the databases include information on patients and hospital personnel. Using the automatic communications facilities of the network patient information from the database is displayed at a nurse station when the patient initiates a nurse-call or automatically when medication, also recorded on the card, is due. In addition, the system may be used to locate hospital personnel and equipment, to audit the use of controlled substances and to automatically assemble emergency response teams.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,141 to Marshall R. Coles et al describes an alert system for alerting a supervisor when an employee has worked beyond a predetermined time limit. The alert system comprises a time collection device that is interfaced with at least one alarm device. The time collection device is selectably operable to detect the input time when the employee clocks in and to generate an alert message when the employee works beyond a predetermined time limit. The predetermined time limit is set to a predetermined amount of time before a potential labor control violation, such as a violation of child labor laws or a violation of wage and hour laws, is about to occur. The time collection device comprises an input device interfaced with a controller which has the predetermined time limit stored in memory. The time collection device also includes a timer that is interfaced with the controller. The timer records the time that the employee clocks in and monitors the elapsed time after the input time. The alert system is operative to detect when the elapsed time exceeds the predetermined time limit and to send an alert signal from the controller to a selected alarm device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,670,945 to Alan R. Applonie describes a self-monitoring, hand-sanitizing station having a basin capable of holding an antiseptic solution to be situated near the entrance to a food handling area. A first proximity detector determines when an individual is approaching both the basin and the entrance. The basin contains a first moisture-proof switch and a second moisture-proof switch the activation of which switches must be done simultaneously; these switches are situated so that a user cannot accomplish such simultaneously activation with a single hand. A second proximity detector determines when an individual has passed beyond the basin towards the entrance. And a logic unit receives electrical inputs from the first proximity detector, the second proximity detector, the first moisture-proof switch and the second moisture-proof switch to determine when an individual has approached both the basin and the entrance but passed beyond the basin toward the entrance without having simultaneously activated the first moisture-proof switch and the second moisture-proof switch. When such a determination is made, an output signal is generated by the logic unit, which output signal activates an alarm.
Notwithstanding the prior art, the present invention is neither taught nor rendered obvious thereby.